Chapter 17
A World Overflowing With Light
After the prince left, Sena still felt her heart pounding violently, a tight ache filling her chest.
In the blink of an eye, that feeling shifted into something else—perhaps because she had narrowly escaped a crisis, or perhaps because of the kiss His Highness had placed upon the back of her hand.
She didn’t know why. And she couldn’t think of any name suitable for that emotion.
“Madam, will you be entering?”
“Ah…‥‥”
Standing before the door was another security staff member—different from the guard who had been with the prince earlier—holding the door open and waiting for Sena to move.
When he opened the door for her, inside were dozens of young women of various ages and races, each adding their own brilliance to the colorful room.
Every one of them, Sena realized, had come here with the hope of marrying Robert.
The thought alone made her feel painfully out of place, almost suffocated with discomfort.
The prince was already gone. If she wanted to back out, she still could.
She hadn’t shown her invitation yet.
She hadn’t even entered the hall; she could still pretend she’d come, then leave quietly and let the matter rest.
But when she turned around to follow after the prince, several waiters and waitresses were approaching. She recognized many of their faces—staff she had spoken with in break rooms while working part-time.
If she bumped into them now, they might notice something and expose her identity.
Once she entered, she could avoid them by blending in as a guest; once they switched into full hospitality mode, staff wouldn’t openly stare or examine guests out of curiosity.
Sena didn’t need to stay for the entire ball.
Just an hour—just long enough to sip champagne and enjoy the atmosphere.
Once His Highness finished his opening speech and guests began dancing, the world would shift into chaos and freedom.
At that point, she could slip away, and no one would notice.
She just had to stay long enough to complete what Mia had asked of her.
After all, this was a world that did not belong to her.
It felt cowardly, but she would slip out, return safely to her dorm, and tomorrow return the dress and accessories to Mia.
And she would say:
“Please… don’t let that horrible family know anything about me!”
For now—she needed a drink to calm herself.
Sena made up her mind and followed the guard inside, keeping her head down to avoid being noticed by the working staff. She melted into the back of the room and leaned against a single-seat sofa.
Soon, another guard approached, guest list in hand, checking each attendee’s invitation.
When he called out to her, Sena looked up—and nearly screamed.
There he stood.
Baldo.
The man who had spent the last several days tormenting her for his own amusement.
She immediately understood why he was wearing a different uniform—he had been demoted from manager to ordinary staff.
His tight-fitting black vest was the uniform of a part-timer or temporary worker.
Grumbling as if the task were beneath him, he approached her.
His flat tone revealed his heavy, bitter heart.
After all he had done to others, this was only natural, and Sena couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
“My lady. May I see your invitation?”
Feigning silent dignity, she handed it to him with the slow, dismissive grace of a noble giving something to a servant—deliberately arrogant, perfectly fitting a true lady of high birth.
For reasons unknown, this attitude worked.
Baldo didn’t even look at her face.
He simply compared the invitation to the list, mechanically checking through his paperwork.
He must have found the name.
Mia’s name.
Once he marked it with his fountain pen, he returned the invitation and finally glanced at her—only for a brief second, but that was enough to make Sena’s heart leap painfully.
Then he pointed to the opposite door.
**“The other guests are entering through that door.
Please enjoy your evening, Miss Palstein.”**
Even with his heart in turmoil, his training as a hotel employee saved him—his manners remained impeccable.
Sena watched him bow and turn away to greet the next guest. Only then did she exhale deeply, relief softening her lips.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Mia had been right.
The dress, the mask, the jewels, the borrowed identity—together, they transformed Sena completely into another person.
“Just for today… thank you,” she whispered, pulling herself upright before entering the hall.
Ahead lay the world she had lived in for more than ten years.
A world she knew intimately.
A world where her true identity still existed—ready to welcome her as a genuine duke’s daughter at any moment.
She would return proudly.
Lifting her chin, Sena stepped through the door the doorman opened for her, into a world overflowing with dazzling brightness—bright as day.
A world filled with light.
